Human Resources Internships

Our HR Vision at Microsoft:

“A global and diverse team that embodies what is unique about Microsoft and is accountable for maximizing the value of our people asset to drive business success.” Lisa Brummel, Senior VP, HR

The HR Trax Program
Internships
Qualifications
HR Trax Blog

Why Microsoft HR?

If you’re up to the challenge of driving business success through people, this is the place for you. As part of the Microsoft HR team you will have the opportunity to:

•	Attract top graduates and the most experienced candidates in the software industry to the largest software company in the world. Your challenge lies in guiding the cream of the crop into the right role at the company through effective partnerships with business leaders.
•	Develop the outstanding talent hired into the company. Your challenge lies in helping business leaders leverage the capabilities of employees through intentional job moves and opportunities that will drive business success and help the employee develop competencies that differentiate outstanding performance and success.
•	Consult with business leaders using your insight about and perspective on human behavior. Your challenge lies in your ability to generate support from others to achieve the desired business outcomes. It also involves taking advantage of opportunities to make a difference and have an impact.
•	Apply your business acumen and knowledge of specific HR activities and functions to identify issues, facilitate the resolution of these issues, and help clients and peers to fully develop their own capabilities.

The HR Trax Program

HR Trax is Microsoft’s accelerated HR development program for interns and full-time hires from universities around the world. Competing in an increasingly diverse and competitive global marketplace, our people must be able to effectively adapt to the changing needs and deliver value that our customers expect. Microsoft’s HR Trax program is building the next wave of global HR leaders that can best protect and deliver the value of our most cherished asset: our people.

The HR Trax program matches individual career goals with our business needs through a tailored two year rotational assignment (two one-year rotations) that places Trax members in challenging roles across HR. Participants are assigned “real-life” projects and responsibilities, and are expected to have a significant impact in the work they do and contributions they make. Upon completing the program, Trax members emerge with a solid understanding of Microsoft HR, Microsoft business functions, a strong track record, and a network to propel them to future success.

But wait, there’s more…In addition to impactful work, Trax offers participants extensive contact with peers and senior leaders. Monthly best practice sharing, an annual HR Trax sponsored leadership conference, regular interaction with top HR leaders, HR Trax peer mentoring, and reading clubs are a few examples of HR Trax program elements that enhance participants’ early-in-career development. Furthermore, participants have the opportunity to lead and participate in committees to shape the present and future of HR Trax.

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Internships

Trax interns work in positions that offer a rich variety of experiences. Internships can include one or all of these roles:

HR Business Partner: The HR Business Partner discipline represents the HR function in a business unit, functional organization, or geography and owns the development and implementation of the HR plan. The client facing HR business partner develops expertise in the business or geography and develops specific solutions related to people and organizational levers. The directional shift for this discipline is to operate as a proactive member of the business team that directs the HR plan and to act as an expert on people issues.

Compensation Analyst/Consultant: The Compensation and Benefits discipline includes professionals with expertise in compensation design, implementation and action planning, and benefits administration and design. Compensation and Benefits strategies create a competitive advantage for Microsoft in targeted talent markets by retaining key talent and aligning employee investments with business value.

Organizational Consultant/Program Manager: The Organization Capability discipline includes professionals in organization development, research, succession planning, talent planning and movement, and diversity. This discipline is focused on initiatives that develop organization capability to better achieve business results.The organization creates and maintains a leadership and talent framework that drives organizational capability and builds a culture of accountability in the following disciplines.

•	Leadership – Grow and strengthen capabilities of our current leaders and their teams to deliver outstanding business results.
•	Talent Management – Get the right people into the right jobs to address today’s agenda and build a pipeline for the future.
•	Learning – Equip employees with knowledge, skills and capabilities to accomplish business imperatives and build careers.
•	Organizational Capability & Change – Align leadership and organizational capabilities with the organization’s business and or technical strategy to deliver business results.

Talent Acquisition (Staffing) Consultant/Program Manager: Microsoft is known for world-class recruiting and for setting trends in the technology industry for how we attract and select our talent. The Staffing discipline at Microsoft has a long tradition of being a key strategic partner. Relationships developed with hiring managers and candidates continue on for years, becoming a highly valued network. Managers at Microsoft rely on the insight and market knowledge that the staffing consultant contributes to every hiring decision. Staffing is known for its high energy and relationship-oriented work environment where personal gratification is derived from hiring the very best for Microsoft.

Diversity Program Manager: The Diversity team works to create a workforce that reflects the race, gender, work &communication style, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, age, second language ability, religious perspectives and other differences that reflect our communities, in which we operate, the marketplace we serve and the shareholders who invest in our company.

M&A HR, Venture Integration Program Manager: The M&A HR team’s mission is to align the people strategy for acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures in support of the business strategy and Microsoft’s long-term success. The team is comprised of individuals with experience in the generalist function, staffing, Organizational Development, as well as seasoned M&A HR professionals - all experiences which are applicable to roles on the team. The team’s primary responsibilities are to:

•	Assess acquired company talent and influence deal structure and terms to attract and retain critical talent
•	Develop effective integration and employee communication strategies to drive deal momentum
•	Ensure compliance with employment laws and practices and Microsoft corporate policies
•	Emphasize and enhance the overall employee experience on both sides of the deal
•	Capture learning and leverage acquisition knowledge to maximize deal value and execution speed

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Qualifications

•	Pursuing a BS/BA, MBA or MA in HR-related field preferred
•	Strong business acumen and resourcefulness
•	1-2 years of practical internship or professional experience in HR related field preferred
•	1-2 years of experience communicating and influencing at all levels within the organization preferred
•	Demonstrated communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to negotiate and persuade others
•	Ability to deal with ambiguity, recognize trends, and identify systematic approaches to solving problems in a fast-moving, dynamic environment

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Visit the Trax Blog

Want to know more about the “real deal?” Check out our blog @ http://hrtrax.spaces.live.com.

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